Egyptian weightlifter Sara Ahmed Samir is one of Egypt's biggest hopes to claim the gold in Paris.
The 26-year-old athlete cemented her place in Egypt's sporting history at the 2016 Rio Olympics, becoming the first Egyptian woman to win an Olympic medal in any sport, inspiring a generation of female athletes.
Surpassing a century of Egyptian participation in the Games, Samir inked her name in the record books with a bronze medal in the women's 69kg weightlifting event. Lifting 112kg in the snatch and 143kg in the clean and jerk for a personal best of 255kg, Samir secured third place behind China's Yanmei Xiang and Zhazira Zhapparkul of Kazakhstan.
Rio was just the beginning as she has been on the rise since then. In 2017, she claimed gold in the Clean and Jerk but failed her three Snatch attempts at the World Championships. The following year, she secured silver at the 2018 World Championships and finally won three gold medals (Snatch, Clean & Jerk, and total) in Colombia in 2022. Samir replicated this feat at the 2023 World Championships in Riyadh.
After missing the Tokyo 2020 Games due to the suspension of the Egyptian weightlifting federation, Sara is looking to catch up and eyes no less than the top of the podium in Paris.
"I'm undergoing rigorous training for Paris. I'm technically and physically prepared to compete. My goal is to win gold despite the strong competition. I won't give up on my dream, no matter what," she told AFP.
Sara is expected to face a stiff challenge as she switched her category and will be competing in the 81kg event instead of her usual 76kg.
Samir, born and raised in the coastal city of Ismailia, will be Egypt's face in Paris as she will be one of the flagbearers alongside Ahmed Elgendy at the opening ceremony.
She will live her dream on 10 August and hopes it will see the light.